Electrically-heated fusing implement



E. WfPUTNAM. ELECTRICALLY HEATED FUSING IMPLEMENT.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 28. I921.

Patented'May 9, 1922.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDWIN PUTNAM, OF HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT.

ELEoraIoA Ly-Kan'rnn FUSING IMPLEMENT.

'1 '0 all whom it may concern.

Be it known that EDNIN lV. PUTNAM,

a citizen of the United States residingat Hartford, in the county ofHartford and State of Conn, has invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Electrically- Heated Fusin Implements, of which thefollowing is a specification.

This invention relates to an electrically heated fusing-implement. 'Anarticle involving the invention may be utilized with. advantage in manydifferent connections although it is of especial advantage for melting awafer or body of sealing wax.

such as is employed for sealing envelopes and their equivalents, againstacc1dental opening. Among the objects of the invention are theprovision. of a device of the kind set forth of a simple character bywhich the requisite amount of heat may be quickly created to fuse awafer or body of sealing wax.

'Inthe drawings accompanying and form-' ing part of the presentspecification. I have shown in detail one of the several forms of'embodiment-of the invention which to enable those skilled in the art tovpractice the same will be set forth fully in said descrip' tion.Obviously I am not restricted to such disclosure. 1 may depart therefromin several respects'within the scope of the invention' defined by theclaims following said description.

Referring to said drawings.

Figure 1 is aside elevation of the implemerit. v

Fig. 2 'is a top plan view ofthe same. Fig. isa longitudinal section ofthe head portion of the implement;

4 is'a' perspective view of the implement ona smaller scale than theother views showing a manner of usinq it.

V i 3 I: P

Like characters refer to like parts throughout the several views.

The device as shown compr1ses in its 1 structure a headfl'2,"which maybe in the form of a practically SemisphericaI. hollow sheet metal.shell. having on the lower edge thereof several pendant legs or props 3,which diverge downwardly and whichare adapted "to rest on a suitablesupportor foundation to slightly space the heating element; hereinafterdescribed from the sur face on which the legs or props 3 rest. The heador shell in addition to the legs or props, is shown provided. with a;rearwardly Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 9; 1922.

Application filed October 25, 1921. Serial. No 511,028.

extendingtubular neck 4: which constitutes a proper duct for conductors.hereinafter described.

As the implement is desirably manually governed, I prefer to furnish itwith a suit able handle as 5 which maybe of wood or other propermaterial, and which is usually hollow to provide for the passage ofleads or wires 6 and 7. The handle is desirably, flexibly associatedwith the head 2 in some manner and the coupling as 8 may be providcd forthis purpose said coupling as repheating element such as that denoted by10, i

this heating element as shown being in the form of a whorl of coiledwire. The helices of. the coil are laid a spiral channel 11 formed inthe frusto-conical body 12 which with its top annular flange 13 is ofsome insulating material. This flange 13 as shown,

fits within the lower portion of the'head or shell 2 and it carries onits upper slde terminals as 141 and 15 electrically connected as bywires 16 and 17 with. the ends of the heating element 10. The'body 12with its flange 13 and the terminals 14 and 15 together with theconnecting wires or conductors 16 and 17, constitute what might beconsidered as a thermostatic unit.

The head or shell 2 also incloses a terminal membersuch as that denotedin a general way by 18 and which is generally made of some insulatingmaterial. It'comprises as illustrated a disk fastened as by screws 19 tothe opposite flanges 20 within the head or shell 2. The terminal member18 has on the under side thereof the plates 21 and 22 fastened in placeas by'the posts or screws 23 extending through the same and alsoextending through thedisk or terminal member 18 and the enlargement 24on the upper side of the terminal member or disk18.

The wires 6 and 7 to which I have hereinbefore referred and which extendthrough the head or shell 2 by way of the neck 4, are

connected electrically at their forward ends,

which are skinned for the purpose, with the screws or posts 23am areheld thereto by the heating element.

as by nuts 25. The conductors or wires 6 and 7 are intersected by aswitch such that denoted in a general way by 26. hen the switch is in oncurrent will flow to the plates 21 and 252 through the wires 6 and 7 andwill transverse the heating element 10 it the latter be in the correctrelation hereinafter described. Obviously when the switch 26 is. in theoil relation no current will be supplied to the heating element. Whenthe parts are in assembled relation the terminals let and 15 areprojected through openings in the plates 21 and 22 respectively and itthe nuts 27 threaded on the base portions of said terminal members 14and 1.5, respectively, be in contact with the respective plates 21 and22, current will flow to the heating element .10 provided the switch 26be in the on relation.

In connection with the heating element a Shield 28 comprising as shown,an upper practically cylindrical portion and lower lrusto-conicalportion 30, The upper cylindrical portion 29 as shown has in it anannular groove 31 to receive the annular head 13 when the parts are inas-iisembled rel alion. The shield 28 is spaced somewhat from theheating element ll) and its cylindrical pol;-

tion 29 has through it perforations or holes 32 for the escape ofradiant heat generated Said cylindrical portion 29 has exteriorlythereof the wedge or cam surface 33 engageable by the inner ends of thescrews 3a tapped through the legs 8. Nhen these screws ea are runinwardly they act against the cam surface 33 so as to project the shield28 upwardly, to thus cause the nuts 25 on the terminals i l and 15respectively to engage firmly against the plates 21 and 22 so that it atthis time the switch 26 be in the on relation the cur-- rent will becaused to traverse the heating element 10. Y

The head or shell 2, shown is provided with a hook 36 by which theimplement can be readily suspended from a suitable projection. Inaddition. to this said head or shell has a vent or opening 37 in itstop.

lVhile the implement may be used in a variety of ways in differentfields, I have however shown in Figure 4ione of: the ways it is employedin connection with the sealing of an envelope In this event thefollowing procedure may be adopted:

A wax wafer as 38 will be laid upon the sealed flap out the envelope 89following which the legs 3 will be laid on top ol the flap with thewafer practically cent-rally of the several legs 3. The contacts 27, inthe form of nuts, will then be adjusted firmly against the plates 21 a dby the elevation of the shield 28, after which the switch 26 will bemoved to the on relation to thus cause current to traverse the heatingelement 10. Thiswill heat the heating element and the radiant heatprojected through the central lower opening of the shell, will naturallymelt the water 38 to which a seal can be subsequently applied t will beclear irom the foregoing description in connection. with the annexeddrawing, that the implement comprises in its make up an electric heatingelement such as the heating element 10, and a guard device surroiuulingthe heating element, the shield answering in this connection. Thisshield or guard device has means for spacing the heating element fromthe article to be heated, the spacing means bein termed as shown by thelegs 3.

ll hat 1: claim is:

1. [all implement of the class described, comprising a heating element,and a guard device surrounding the heating element and having an openingfor radiant heat, the implement being prov' led with means for positively holding the heating element out oi contact with a body inconnection with which said implement being used.

An implement of the class described connprising a heating elementadapted when energized to heat by radiation, a mass of sealing wax on abody, and a guard device surrounding the heating element and having anopening :lior radiant heat to be projected on to the sealing wax,theimplement being provided with means for positively holding theheating element out of contact with said body.

3. An implement of the class described comprising a heating elementadapted when energized to heat by radiation a mass of sealwax on a body,and a guard device surrounding the heating element and having an openingfor radiant heat to be projected on to the sealing wax, the implementbeing provided with legs to support the implement and to also hold theheating element out of contact with said body.

4-. An implement of the class described com1 )i'isi1ig a head, a guarddevice connected with said. head, a heating element in the guard device,a terminal member in the head, provided with contacts, the heatingelement having contacts to detachably engage those on the terminalmember.

An implement of the class described. comprising a head, a guard deviceassociated. with said head, a frusto-conical insulating member in theguard device and the body of which is separated therefrom, a whorl ofcoiled conducting material fitted around the the body, and a terminalmember in the head provided with means for the electrical connectionwith the whorl. the implement having means to positively hold theheating element out of contact with the part on which said implementrests.

6. An implement of the class described comprising a hollow head, aterminal member rigidly mounted in the head and provided with contacts,a guard device to extend downward from the head, a frusto-conicalinsulating member in the guard device, the body of which is separatedtherefrom and is provided with a head to be supported by the guarddevice, a whorl of coiled conducting material fitted around said body,the second head having contacts electrically connected with the ends ofsaid whorl, the guard de vice having-an opening in it for the passageof: radiant heat from the heating element, and the implement havingmeans 'to positively separate the heating element from the part on whichthe implement rests.

7. An implement of the class described comprising a hollow head,aterminal member mounted in the head and provided with contacts, a guarddevice to extend downward from the head, a frusto-conical insulatingmember in the guard device and provided with a head to be supported bythe guard device, a whorl of coiled conducting material fitted aroundthe body, the second head having contacts electrically connected withthe ends of said whorl, a guard device having an opening in it for thepassage of radiant heat from the rheostat and the first v hollow guarddevice provided with a lower trusto-conical portion, the head having anopening, having pendant legs, screws tapped through the legs, the guardhaving a wedge surface to be engaged by the inner ends of the screwswhereby when the screws are run in, the guard device will be elevated, afrusto-conical insulating member set in the guard device, spacedtherefrom and provided with a head, the guard device having in its upperside a channel in which the head of said insulating body fits, a whorlor coiled conducting material fitted around the frustoconical body, thelatter having a coiled groove to receive the whorl, and contacts on thesecond head connected with the terminals of the whorl.

In testimony whereof I affix m si nature.

EDWIN WV. P T AM. In presence of-- MARY F. LONG, HEATH SUTHERLAND.

